


Chase the Dark

by BundyShoes



Category: Legion (2010)
Genre: Canon Rewrite, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-10-02
Updated: 2015-01-21
Packaged: 2017-11-15 12:31:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,845
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/527340
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BundyShoes/pseuds/BundyShoes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>She wanted to believe that this was just some nightmare, some weird daydream of hers and she’s just half-asleep in the car, waiting to reach their new home, but then Michael walked into the room and reality smacked her in the face. This was real. Michael/Audrey AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. No Longer the Same

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (EDIT- 1/18/2015- I've edited the first 3 chapters, so please reread them if you haven't already. I fixed some errors and I've changed some things)

-x-

 _“This is your fault. I loved my house. I loved my life…and you have ruined it. You ruined everything-_ everything _!”_

Was it really? Was it all her fault they were there? None of it _hers_? Audrey found that hard to believe, but couldn’t help that nagging feeling in the back of her mind that said there's some truth in her mother's words.

She shouldn’t be worrying about that at a time like this though. They’re in a diner in the middle nowhere with angel-possessed people attacking them nonstop. Their only means of protection being one of God's archangels, who's apparently not even there to protect _them_ \- just one woman and her baby (that she didn’t even want). She had no time to think about trivial things such as her bitchy mother blaming all her shit on her daughter.

She continued to twist the dial on the small radio, hoping for something, anything, that could give her hope or at least some type of reprieve. It'd been at least half an hour since Michael debunked their plan to head to Red Ridge for strength in numbers. They couldn't leave because it could put Charlie in danger (but if they stay here then it would put _them_ in danger because, no matter what, Charlie was obviously going to make it) Audrey tried not to dwell on such morbid thoughts or else she'd go crazy and just make a break for it. She tried to think of something else and once again her mother's words flit through her mind.

It’s just so typical of her to not place any blame on herself and just dump it all on someone else - especially on Audrey. Her mother had always been selfish and self important, but ever since her run in with ‘dad’, she’d sunken even further.

Audrey used the term ‘dad’ loosely, because she didn’t want to think it was actually her daddy upside down on that crude imitation of the cross. She didn’t want to think that God could be that cruel to someone. She wanted to believe that this is just a nightmare, some weird daydream of hers and she’s just half-asleep in the car, waiting to reach their new home.

But then Michael walked into the room, with his knife-gun combo and intricate tattoos along his neck, back, and arms, and reality smacked her in the face.

This is _real_. All this…it’s happening.                                                                                   

She felt rebellious. Maybe it’s because she’s still sort of a teenager, but it didn’t matter as she decided to challenge God’s right-hand angel.

“Why would our dear, merciful God do this to us?” she watched as Michael sharply turned his head towards her, and then continued with a soft, biting voice, “I thought he loved us all, _unconditionally_.”

She’s sitting at the bar, head leaning heavily on her hand, utterly without hope at the moment. She felt _tired_. She just wanted this to be over with, or to at least pretend it’s not happening. He kept staring at her with those eyes.

“He does.”

She quirked an eyebrow at his response, “Oh, really?”

He barely nodded.

“Then why would he want us annihilated? Why would a caring, loving father want his children destroyed?” She laughed bitterly, “Is it like a punishment? Or how ‘bout a lesson? This is starting to feel like an abusive relationship, if I'm being honest here.”

Michael stared at her, his gaze unyielding in its intensity. It made her almost lose her nerve, but she’s naturally stubborn (she gets it from her mom), so she kept her cool, and continued in her tirade.

“Well? Is there any excuse for killing your family? Your children?” She tilted her head down, looking at the chipped wood in front of her, using her thumbnail to carve randomly into it, and in a quiet voice whispered, “A father should want to help his children….not tear them down.”

A rustle alerted her that he’d moved positions, and the warmth against her right elbow told her that he was now sitting beside her.

He’s so _warm_. She didn’t think angels emanated this kind of heat. She’d always seen angels on tomb stones or solemn stain glasses, always something cold and unfeeling, but this is the complete opposite and her emotions are way too fried by now to be dealing with something like this.

Swallowing, she glanced up at him. He’s still wearing his jacket, sitting with his knees pressed awkwardly into the bar because his legs are so long. He looked over at her.

“You’re right…” he fell silent, letting his words settle in. “But…He just needs to see, that there is still hope for mortals. He needs to see you still have faith,” his words sounds sure and confident but Audrey can see a hint of desperation behind his eyes. She can see that he needs to believe this and that he _does_ believe in this mission with everything he has. This faith that he exuded so much moved her.

She understood what he was saying. She understood where he was coming from - she really did - but that didn’t change the fact that this whole situation is really shitty. But she could see that he’s trying too. He's trying to understand her point of view, a human's point of view…an unimportant human's point of view.

She cannot forget the fact that in his eyes, no matter what he says now to comfort her, she was not important in the grand scheme of things. She wasn't Charlie, she wasn't this savior baby, she's not even important to her own family at this point. She was a background character, a minor character, and she will most likely be dead by the time dawn breaches the horizon.

But as pissed and as depressed about this as she was, maybe she's starting to accept this as well. She didn’t want to, though. She wanted to rail against this, wanted to force Michael to protect her too, wanted to yell at God, wanted to get a gun and go kill every last motherfucker out there who's threatening what's left of her short life. She wanted to fight back, but at the same time she's unsure if she had the strength.

She looked back to the front and felt a chill run through her petite body. She shivered and brought her folded arms closer, but almost jumped out of her skin when something large and warm settled on her shoulders. She looked up quickly, and saw that he had put his jacket on her. His face was still expressionless, though a little soft, but she could detect some nervousness in him, like he was unsure of his actions. She just smiled at him, and immediately set to work on getting her arms through the sleeves.

When she’s lifting her long hair out from under the fabric, she felt his hand pull hers, and she froze. Her eyes dart to his, but his are fixated on something else.

“What happened?”

She searched for what he meant, and she saw it on her hand.

Her hand had blood on it. Thinking for a second she remembered that it was from when her mother smacked her. She was bringing her hand up to her face, to find where the cut is, when he stopped her again.

His hand gently brushed her long bangs from her forehead, “It’s already dried up, but we should put a small bandage on, at the very least.” He procured some gauze and started to fix her up, ignoring her shocked gaze.

When he’s done, she thanked him and he just nodded in response. She smiled at him shyly (though she had no idea why, it's not like she's inexperienced when dealing with the opposite sex) (although he was an angel, so was he really the opposite sex? aren't angels genderless? he sure didn’t look anything less than a man, but she tried not to stare so obviously at the way his tight shirt pulled across his chest and biceps) and he seemed to try to return it. It seemed simple, but it’s the most complex thing that’s happened to her since she got here and she felt her face heat up as she turned her head away from him to look back at the bar.

She was being stupid. It was the emotions swirling around and the hectic atmosphere causing these feelings and she shouldn’t be having them. She _knew_ she shouldn’t. It was just adrenaline and hormones. But…it didn’t change the fact that her heartbeat seemed to be quickening in his presence, by his actions.

She almost turned back to him, when Kyle chose that moment to walk in.

“It’s our watch now. You ready?” he raised his eyebrows in expectation and she nodded dumbly in response. Standing up from the bar stool with numb legs, she took a few steps after him, her arm unintentionally brushing against the back of Michael as she passed.

Michael’s voice stopped her.

“It’s not your fault.”

Her entire body froze, and her back straightened. She gazed at him with a curious expression (and a little bit of apprehension and hope). He’s still sitting there, his elbows folded on the counter.

“This was not your fault, Audrey. None of it is.” His eyes were kind and full of understanding and she immediately turned away from it, her brain unable to accept it at the moment. She began to walk away. "You should remember that," he spoke softly after her.

When she's reached the doorway, she paused and turned around fully.

He’s still watching her from where he sits.

Her eyes were blank for a moment, but then she blinked and an actual smile began to stretch across her face.

“Thank you.”

A ghost of a smile traced his lips, and he tilted his head in a nod, “Of course.”

She kept her gaze on him, squinting a little, then grinned and nodded once more.

She followed Kyle outside, her heart lifting for the first time since this all started.

-x-

“Make sure you pull that back.”

“I know how to work this. Trust me."

Kyle had handed her an automatic rifle, and it seemed that just because she was a girl, it automatically meant that she couldn’t handle it already. She pulled back the safety and pointed it at an invisible target in front of her as they stood on the roof of the diner.

As she continued to look down the scope, she told Kyle about one of her ex-boyfriends - a Marine who had been real gun freak (his appeal being mostly that her parents hated him). As she spoke, she tried not to wonder if he was still alive or if he was dead somewhere - a casualty of this holy war.

Kyle was quiet for a moment, as though thinking of something, and she waited for him to share - he didn’t disappoint.

“I heard what your mother said.” She lowered the gun. “You don’t deserve that kinda shit.”

She bit her lip, "She's right though."

He tried to shake his head and she continued over him, setting down the rifle and looking for a smaller gun because she couldn’t look at him as she talked. "It's my fault that we're here. The only reason why we were moving is because of me…They thought that my friends were a bad influence but… _I_ was the bad influence…"

She knew, objectively, that this whole situation wasn't, but them leaving their house? And them being stuck at the diner as everything went down? That’s her fault.

She looked over at him, but he wasn't looking at her. His brows were furrowed and he's shaking his head. “When I was a shorty," he started, "The only time my old man ever gave me attention was when I did something bad” He paused, a small smirk on his face, “So you can guess what I did.”

They both gave a half-hearted chuckle as he answered his own question: "I got really good at being bad."

After a moment of silence he continued, “The problem is…when you get older, when you have a family…being bad is not so good anymore.” He was staring at his hands, and she lightly put a hand on his shoulder for comfort.

He turned and leaned in towards her, as though his next words would be the most important for her to hear.

"Just because you weren't good, though," he went on to say, "doesn’t mean this is on you. You can't carry that weight. It'll only drag you down. You gotta keep moving."

She studied his face, her hand squeezing his shoulder, and tried to think of something to say in response.

Right as she opened her mouth to do so, the moment was broken as the lights turned on outside and inside the diner. Music could be heard playing downstairs on the jukebox and Audrey tried not to shiver as a chill went down her spine.

The sound of wheels on gravel tore through the air and they immediately grabbed their weapons at the ready.

A van skidded into the gas station and when it stopped a man got out, looking around hectically. A child could be seen inside the van, but Audrey couldn’t see the mother from where she stood. She and Kyle began to relax when suddenly a mob of multiple cars blasting heavy metal came out of nowhere and surrounded the van.

“It’s a setup," Kyle whispered. "They tricked them!” He raised his gun and let off a round in warning. The dad flinched but stayed still. “Get back in your car!” Kyle yelled as he let off another round, “Now! Hurry!”

She followed his example and started yelling as well. But when the dad finally started to move, it was too late. One of the cars swerved and hit him, coming to a stop right beside the van. A bunch of punk teenagers got out of the cars, and two of the guys took the kid out of the vehicle.

She heard Kyle swear next to her. When she looked over at him though, he wasn’t there.

He had jumped onto the ground.

She ran to the edge to watch it all play out, dread curling in her stomach and her fingers gripping the rail.

He shot at them, and picked the child up. Holding the gun in front of him threateningly as he spun around in all angles, he warned them to stay back.

She bit her lip, anticipating him hurrying back, not knowing what else to do. But then she saw the little boy pull away from Kyle.

And then watched as he ripped Kyle’s throat out with his teeth.

 _“Kyle!”_ the scream tore out of her throat, and without thinking, she was already jumping over the railing and sliding down to the ground, a hand gun gripped in her palm and shooting at everyone that came near her.

She can’t even remember how she got there, to the middle of the mob, it’s all a blur of aiming and gunshots ringing in her ear, but suddenly she’s there - in front of the demon child that stole Kyle’s life away - and she felt no regret when she points the weapon at him, staring down into his soulless black eyes.

_What?_

Click. Click.

No more bullets.

"You're going to die now," the child sung, his voice mutated and dark, his eyes blank but his mouth and sharp teeth covered in Kyle's blood and flesh. A chill rushed down her spine.

She chucked the gun at the kid’s head, trying to cause at least some damage and ran to the open van, ducking into the front seat and locking all the doors.

The possessed surrounded the car almost immediately and they all began to scratch at the windows, and all that’s running through her mind is:

_I’m going to die. I’m going to die. Why? Why, Why, Why? What will happen to everyone? Will her mother survive without her and her dad? Will the baby survive? What about the diner? What about mankind's fate? What about God? What about Michael? Will he succeed?_

And then she thought: _I never mattered and I'm going to die alone_ and she feels tears streaming down her face. A crack of a window reaches her ears she turned to see them all still banging at the car. They’re everywhere, and there wasn't a single spot she could look where there wasn’t a black pair of eyes staring back at her.

“Oh, God.” She whimpered. She heard a racket outside the car, but couldn’t see anything. “Somebody please help me.” _Please, help me. I want to live. I want to fight. Please give me this. Please don’t let me die like this. I promise I'll be better. I promise I'll be good. Please. Please. Please._

She stared helplessly out into the masses of the possessed as they shook the car back and forth, when suddenly something caught her eye from behind them all.

It was Michael.

He’s holding a gun and one of the gasoline pumps, and it only takes her a moment to realize what he’s about to do and to dive down to the floorboards.

She heard the possessed scream in agony and could swear she felt the flames against the front of the car as she held her hands protectively up over her head.

It all stops and she sat back up, only to see he’s moved to her side of the vehicle. She scooted over to the passenger seat and only had a second to shield her face as he shattered the glass window. The car door opened and she looked up.

He’s holding his hand out to her, and with the fire blazing behind him, lighting up his figure, Audrey could see him in all his glory. She could almost imagine him as he normally was, with his wings and his bravery and her breath caught in her throat but she didn’t hesitate to reach for him, letting him pull her out of the car and back to the diner - to safety.

“Come on!” he cried, hurrying them, trying to run with her hand still grasped in his.

She stumbled, but he pulled his arm tightly around her, keeping her tucked into his side, moving them farther away from the fire and closer to the open door where the rest of their people wait. They’re about five feet away when the explosion cut through the air, knocking them forward the last few feet and slamming them into the floor of the diner.

His arm kept her pinned to the floor from where it was still around her and they were both immobile for a few seconds before he jumped once more into action. He sat up and began looking her over, patting her down and she dimly wondered if she was still on fire. She worried that maybe his jacket, which she still wore, has caught some of the explosion, but she felt no pain and he seemed to take care of any flame that might've been there. The others were around them and she could see the steam rolling off them both and barely registered Charlie saying, “I’ll get some water.” Her heart was pounding and her ears were ringing and she still felt the adrenaline coursing through her veins but she was alive. She was alive.

She looked up to Michael and grabbed his hands, causing him to halt in his actions. He turned to her, his gaze almost penetrating in its intensity.

“Thank you,” she whispered, gratefulness and sincerity ringing in her soft tone.

He nodded in response (she expected nothing less), before a scream shattered the small moment.

-x-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (EDIT- A repeat of the first author's note at the top- I edited ALL of this and fixed a bunch of stuff up, so please reread this.)


	2. A Savior is Born

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (EDIT - 1/18/2015 - I REWROTE AND EDITED THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS SO PLEASE GO BACK AND READ THEM)

-x-

It was Charlie.

She was screaming and the sound of a knife clanging against something was heard. Audrey felt Michael tense for a moment and then run over, gun held at his side, ready to aim. He jumped over the bar right after a loud clang was heard.

All of a sudden the lights turned off. She couldn’t see anything - the diner was pitch black. The lights attached to the guns went wild, creating a strobe-like atmosphere, and finally one of them settled on the ceiling, highlighting the bloody handprints crawling across it.

“What the hell?” she heard Bob mutter, and then without warning heard him yell and make choking noises. The kid had jumped on him from behind and was now strangling him. Audrey watched in shock as Michael grabbed the kid and flung him in the air. Jeep started shooting immediately, finally killing the little bastard.

There was no breath of relief, however, as Charlie bent over, a moan of pain escaping her lips. She panted for a moment and, looking up, whispered the two words that sent a chill down everyone’s spine.

“It’s coming.”

Audrey was still in a daze when Michael pulled her over to Charlie. He deposited her on the ground before settling behind Charlie, keeping her anchored and in the right position, holding her hands tightly. He turned back to Audrey, “You’re going to have to deliver it.”

That snapped her out of it, “What?! Uh, just ‘cause I’m a girl, does _not_ mean I know how to do this!” Her heart beat erratically as panic seeped through her.

The words could barely be heard over Charlie’s screaming but somehow he had heard her, “Just stay calm and do exactly as I tell you. I’ll guide you through this.”

Audrey looked at him with disbelief, “How do you know how to do this?”

He didn’t get the chance to answer as a loud horn blasted through the air, cutting him off and stealing everyone's attention. Audrey looked around as the diner began to quake and the plates started to clink from how loud the noise was. It was like the Earth was shaking and Audrey started to freak out, “What the fuck is that?!”

Michael’s eyes connected with hers, “He’s coming.” He kept her gaze for only a moment before turning back to Charlie, “I need you to hurry now, Charlie--” Audrey interrupted, “Hurry?! This isn’t exactly something you can hurry!” but he kept talking over her, “Push, Charlie, _push_!” he stressed the last word, drawing it out as if he could coax the baby out with just that one verb. He wasn't going to focus on anything else at that moment, she could tell, but she needed to know.

“Michael, _who is coming_?!” Audrey felt a little scared. Michael looked really spooked, and that was not a good sign if something freaked out God's Top General in His army. Whatever this thing was, it had to be powerful, and dangerous. Enough to make Michael hurry them along faster than he already was.

The delivery went off as smoothly as it could, seeing as this was not a hospital, but a dingy shithole diner, and not a professional doctor, but a nervous, anxiety-ridden nineteen year old with no experience in the medical field whatsoever. Michael helped a lot throughout, however. His smooth words guiding, not just Charlie, but Audrey as well through the process as gently and patiently as he could despite having an undercurrent of fear in them. But considering the situation, she admitted it was the best that could've been done at that point.

It felt like forever, and Audrey didn’t even know what it was at first, before a small cry pierced through Charlie’s screams. The baby came out head first, and right before Audrey’s eyes a baby was born into the world.

A baby boy was born on December 25th into an apocalypse.

Her breath caught and tears pricked her eyes.

What she held in her arms, all sticky with blood and unknown bodily fluids didn't look anything like a savior - just an ordinary child, taking its first breaths of oxygen. What was weird though, was how amazing just a simple tiny human being could invoke such awe into her, and how light her heart felt as she cradled it gently.

“Charlie, you did it!” She glanced at the older woman, a smile spreading on her face. Relief swept through her body and Audrey felt an almost delirious happiness settle over her.

“You did it,” her voice dropped to a whisper and it was unavoidable as her eyes moved on their own accord to the man behind Charlie, the _angel_ standing guard over this birth. Her smile wasn’t forced and it wasn’t held back. She grinned at him with all she had, hope filling her chest until she felt like it could burst.

-x-

There was a blanket next to her, ready and waiting to be put to use. She laid the child on it and, after cleaning him off, she wrapped him up. She gently got onto her knees, cradling the babe to her chest, and leaned over to Charlie, who still hadn’t moved since it had happened.

“Here, Charlie, here’s your baby. It’s a boy,” she still smiling, despite how tired she felt. She fully expected Charlie to take the baby, to smile and rejoice in this beautiful creation she just created.

But she didn’t move.

She didn’t even try to reach for her child.

She merely moved her head farther away, further into her self-pity.

Confusion hit Audrey, _why would she do that?_ She inched the baby closer to its mother, feeling almost desperate, “No, look, your baby’s fine. See?” Maybe that’s what’s wrong. Maybe Charlie just thought there might be something wrong with the child, and was just too scared to see.

But then Michael looked up at her, his face a few inches from hers, and whispered in a soft voice, “It’s alright. Give her some time.”

He gently laid his hand atop hers where it held the baby, slightly pushing the bundle away from Charlie. Her heart would have raced at the contact, if not under such shitty circumstances. Audrey couldn’t believe her ears. After a moment of staring at him in shock, she slowly turned back to Charlie, who looked as though the whole world was against her, and nothing was right nor would it ever be right.

What the _fuck_.

Audrey was starting to get sick and tired of Charlie’s bullshit and the thought of her not taking care of this kid because of her ‘emotional baggage’ pissed her off to no end.

An image of her own mother flitted through her mind, and Audrey felt like she was seeing red. No child deserved something like that. And she’d be damned if she allowed Charlie to do it to this kid.

“ _Don’t you dare_ ,” she gritted out, her eyes hidden behind long layers of hair. She shook her head, and finally looking up, she fixed Charlie with a fierce glare. “Don’t you _dare_...neglect this child.” She stressed the word, making damn sure she got her point across. "This child deserves better than that. He doesn’t deserve someone who's going to blame him for everything that’s wrong with the world. Don’t do that to him."

Cradling the child to her own chest, she stood up, “When you finally get your shit together, I’ll be over there,” she gestured with her head in a direction, any direction, away from where they were. And then she walked away. She didn’t dare look at Michael throughout that little exchange, she couldn’t. His eyes would’ve torn her up and she couldn’t take that, not then.

She somehow ended up in front of her mother, who was still tied to the chair. Kneeling, she found she still took comfort from the child. No matter what Charlie did, she knew this child would be loved by _somebody_ and with that thought she smiled down at the boy.

“He’s beautiful.”

The words shocked Audrey - not because of what was said, but because of who it came from. After the little spat between them, Audrey had thought her mom wouldn’t have spoken to her again, at least civilly. But apparently she had been wrong.

She let a small smile escape, “Yea, he is, isn’t he?” She felt a pull on her hair and, looking down, she saw that a chubby little hand had grabbed onto a chunk of her hair.

A giggle rose unbidden from her throat, and she used her free hand to gather some tendrils from the left side of her face and brushed them gently across the newborn’s face. She felt as though she were glowing from the inside out when the child started to gurgle and happily play with her hair.

“You’re gonna make a great mother one day.”

Audrey flinched, dropping her hair back down onto her arm. She almost forgot where she was for a second.

“You know, you used to look at me like that.” Audrey looked up at her mom, surprise evident on her face. He mother’s gaze was not on her though, but on the baby. Her eyes were glazed over with memories and nostalgia. “ _Just…like…that._ ”

Sandra seemed to snap out of it, and turned a motherly look onto her daughter. “I’m sorry, Audrey. About everything that happened--”

Audrey interrupted her, already shaking her head, “ _No_ , no, it’s okay.” She smiled encouragingly at her mom. She always knew her mother meant none of that. Or at least pretended her mother didn’t mean it (it hurt a lot less to think that way and she was used to it by now).

“I love you, Audrey,” when Sandra saw that her daughter was about to speak again, she hurried on, “I need to say this…it might be the last chance I get.”

Audrey kept shaking her head slowly. “Why do you say that?” she sat up on her haunches getting closer to her mother, “Mom…it's not the end of the world, no matter how it may seem. It's going to be okay.”

Sandra wouldn’t look at her, and Audrey forcibly made her by moving into her line of vision and catching her eye, “Mom, we aren't going to die here. We’re going to make it through this.” She said it with such clarity that she almost believed it herself.

Sandra was quiet for a moment as she stared at her daughter in wonder, before nodding in assent, “You’re right.” She wet her lips, “You know, it’s just me and you now. We only have each other.”

Audrey nodded, “Yea…” An image of her father flashed through her mind. “I know.”

-x-

The child had started to cry.

Audrey, being the inexperienced person that she was, clumsily tried to placate him. Unfortunately, nothing seemed to work and the crying then turned into a loud wail.

She let out a loud sigh. She was pacing the floor in front of her mother, and when she paused to shift the baby, that’s when she heard it.

The wail wasn’t from the baby…but from the possessed outside.

 _What the hell is it_ now _?_

Bob and Jeep chose that moment to walk into the room. “Something’s happening,” Bob pointed out the obvious.

By this point, Michael had left Charlie where she had been on the floor, and was now at the table with the weapons, sorting through them and loading them with quick succession.

“The possessed can’t come near the child, so He’s sent someone who can, someone like me,” Michael explained, never stopping in his movements.

“Who?” Jeep asked, his southern drawl prolonging the word.

Michael leveled them with a grim stare, “Gabriel.” He returned to the weapons, “He’s here to do what I wouldn’t.”

Out of all of them, Jeep was the only one who seemed to understand. “So _that_ was the order you didn’t obey?”

Audrey was confused. From what she could gain, Jeep and Michael had apparently had a conversation earlier about Michael’s past. For a moment she felt her jealousy spike. The thought of Michael’s past intrigued her, and the fact that someone else knew and she didn’t was a little upsetting.

Charlie seemed to still be in her own little world, but still managed to ask: “What do you mean, Jeep? What order? Michael?”

Michael ignored her, “We need to leave. We have to get out of here--”

Charlie, however, wasn’t going to be ignored so easily, “What’s he talking about?”

Michael kept talking over her, “We need to go now.”

Charlie surged forward, and - at the same time Michael yelled, “ _Now!_ ” - she screamed, “ _Michael, answer me!_ ”

Silence blanketed the group, and Michael seemed to be studying Charlie, before letting out a breath.

“The child…was never supposed to live.”

Those words hit Audrey like a ton of bricks, and she immediately looked down at said child that lay in her arms.

“But,” Audrey tore her eyes back to him as he continued, “history is being unwritten, the child lives,” he faltered a little, seeing Charlie back away slowly.

Audrey didn’t understand her. Here he was, helping them out from being annihilated, and she was freaking out over something that _might’ve_ happened but _didn’t_. He was _here_. He was with them _now_. That’s all that mattered.

Charlie turned around, facing her, “Audrey, the baby,” she walked towards the younger girl, her arms awaiting the child she had just recently shunned.

Hesitantly, Audrey held the baby out for her to take. But right when Charlie was about to take him, something rushed between the two women, snatching the baby from Audrey.

“Mom?!”

Sandra ran over to the door and stopped a foot away from it, keeping her back to it.

“What are you doing?” Bob asked, his rough voice portraying his disbelief.

“All they want is the baby. I’m going to give them the baby, and everything’s going to be alright. Audrey,” she held her free hand out to her daughter, “come with me.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Audrey could see Michael with his gun trained on her mom. She made her decision then. Sandra may have done some shitty things during her lifetime, but she didn’t deserve a fate like this. After all, didn’t she just promise her mom a few minutes ago that they wouldn’t die here?

“Mom, get over here.” Sandra looked like a wild animal, her eyes wide in a panic, and Audrey pitied her but feared what would happen if she didn’t listen. “Mom, please!”

Sandra shook her head, “Audrey, now! Come with me!”

Audrey ignored her, “Mom,” she started, but Charlie spoke up, “You give him back to me right now!” she stabbed her index finger at Sandra, her other on her hip, as though reprimanding the other woman.

Sandra just looked at her and laughed, “Why? You didn’t even want him in the first place!”

Audrey couldn’t help the twinge of agreement that welled up inside her at that, but shoved it down. When she went to speak, however, her voice caught in her throat. From behind the door, a bright light shone, and the wooden barrier started to shake from some unknown source. Audrey’s hands were at her sides, her fists clenching together over and over, as though trying to get a grip on the situation. “Mom,” she began again, swallowing, “Mom, something’s coming!”

Sandra turned a deaf ear to her pleas, shaking her head. “It’s just one baby,” she cried, desperately, looking to Michael, but he never wavered in his position. Sandra turned to each of the group, as though trying to reason with them that it was the only way.

“It’s just one baby!”

Audrey finally had enough, and she began to walk forward, ready to drag her mother back, kicking and screaming, but something beat her to it.

She felt like she was moving in slow motion, but in reality it was only a couple of seconds.

One second her mother was pleading with her to leave with the baby, the next the door was being kicked in a light burst through.

Immediately a bullet whizzed past Audrey’s ear and imbedded itself into her mother’s forehead, causing her head to fly backwards from the force, her body collapsing.

It didn’t seem to register in that moment that her mother was dead.

The shock didn’t have a chance to set in though, because as her mother's body fell, Audrey saw the baby falling too and without thinking she dove right for him.

 Hitting the ground hard, she was able to catch him inches from it, but her mother fell to the ground like a rag doll beside her.

“Mom,” she choked out, putting a hand on her shoulder. Her mother’s eyes were wide open in shock, blood trickling from the wound between her eyes. Quietly, almost reverently, Audrey closed Sandra Anderson’s eyes for the last time, feeling the pain register deep in her heart.

But her moment was cut short, and a shadow loomed over Audrey, and immediately she pushed her mother’s corpse away, so she wouldn’t get in the way.

Big boots clomped down in her vision, and, slowly dragging her eyes up, Audrey set her gaze on the angel Gabriel for the first time.

_Oh, God._

She clutched the child closer to her, angling her body to where it was between him and the angel. Gabriel’s eyes turned down to her, and the coldness in them sent a chill down her back.

 _He was nothing like Michael._ There was no compassion, no love or respect for human life in those depths.

“Give me the child,” his voice rumbled like thunder, no remorse, no mercy to be found.

She shook her head, “ _No_.” she hated how her voice shook.

He didn’t even looked phased, “Human, give me the child, and I’ll make your death quick.”

She was scared. She was _so scared_ right then. But if he thought she'd give up now…at the very end…he had another thing coming. She glanced over at her mother's body, crumpled to the side of the doorway and felt strength fill her.

“Well, in that case,” she shifted her body a little, as though to hand over the child, but really she just looked down at him. The baby looked up at her, its eyes wide and its face innocent. Her body was still between the Messenger of God and what he wanted and she'd make damn sure it stayed that way. She looked up at the angel through a curtain of hair.

“Fuck no.”

His nostrils flared, and Audrey tensed as he brought his mace up. She twisted her body, trying to get the child out of harm’s way. She heard his battle cry, and covered the baby’s head, shutting her eyes and hoping it didn’t hurt too much.

_CLANG!_

She felt no pain.

She cracked an eye open.

She was alive. So was the baby.

She saw a foot. But instead of being attached to a beefy leg, the appendage was connected to a much slimmer, toner leg.

It was Michael. He stood over her, his small angelic knife braced against Gabriel’s mace, holding it at bay. Audrey wasted no time and scrambled up, and over to hand Charlie her baby. She looked back to see Michael twist his knife out and under, disengaging their locked weapons. Bob immediately took action and started firing at Gabriel before the angel could get his bearings back.

But the shots didn’t seem to faze him. He lifted up in the air on his wings and, bringing them towards himself, used them as a shield and spun, blocking the bullets.

Once Bob’s gun was out of ammunition, Gabriel retaliated and let one of his wings slip out, slicing Bob through the midsection.

“No!” Jeep surged forward to go to his bleeding father, but Michael held him back, “You need to go!”

“Dad!” Jeep didn’t listen, and Audrey ran to the two men, taking Jeep’s arm. Michael turned to her, “You need to find the prophets.”

Confused eyes answered him, “What?”

“There’s no time, you need to go. Go _now_!” Michael pushed them in the direction of the back door, and Audrey let Charlie pull Jeep away. She didn’t follow them right away, though.

She walked back up behind Michael and grasped his elbow gently, “Hey.”

He looked over his shoulder at her, his gaze almost softening. She studied his face for a moment, as though for the last time, and then softly whispered, “Just…be careful. Okay?” she smiled at him in an effort to be reassuring, but it seemed to comfort her more than him. Nonetheless, he smiled back.

 He nodded behind her after a few seconds, “You need to hurry. Go.” His words were gentle, and Audrey nodded, and backed away, keeping her eyes locked on the Archangel. He watched her until she was near the exit and then he turned back to Gabriel. The angels faced off and the image of Michael standing in front of Gabriel, the angel's dark wings a magnificent sight, would forever be ingrained in her mind.

When she felt her back hit the door, that was when she finally turned away and into the night - and into a swarm of possessed that surrounded their one means of transportation out of there.

(it was never easy, was it?)

-x-


	3. Have Faith

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (EDIT- 1/18/2015 - I edited and fixed a couple of things recently so make sure you've read the first 3 chapters again)

-x-

They were everywhere.

Audrey didn’t think she drew breath once throughout the entire trek to the car. Of course, she knew for a fact that the things around her weren’t. The only sound that echoed around them was the rustle of stones and gravel when their feet struck the earth.

There were all sorts of people out here. Mostly regular people: men in suits, women in dresses, children in superhero and princess shirts. Everyone imaginable. It was disconcerting to see ordinary people standing by with blank emotion on their faces, and even worse was the fact that these _weren’t_ normal people.

They were angels.

None of them tried to get close, but neither did they move away. Audrey felt like that main character in _Silent Hill_ , in that scene where she had to walk through the crowd of horrid undead nurses. And now she was in her own _Silent Hill_ , never knowing when they’d flinch or react. The smallest twitches caused Audrey to have mini heart attacks.

They reached the car, but had to walk around a little….'girl'. Audrey didn’t know what she was, to be honest, since she had a bag on her head, but it was freaky all the same. The girl started banging on the car with a bat in her small hand. She didn’t do anything else, and even that little act didn’t seem very threatening.

They got into the car, and Jeep pulled slowly out, just in case the possessed decided they should try something. And then they were on the road, creating distance between them and the only angel who wanted to help. And the only angel in danger at the moment.

Audrey never forgot about him as the car streaked down the road. Her head buzzed with thoughts about whether he was still standing, still locked in that duel with Gabriel. Would he come after them when he was done? Would he actually _make it_ through the battle? Audrey couldn’t shut her mind up, and she pinched the crevice between her eyes for control.

They rode in silence for about five minutes, and in those minutes, Audrey’s shoulders grew even tenser. Nothing was giving them any indication that Michael was okay or that it was going badly. The only noise that was gifted her ears, were that of the baby’s. Charlie was finally accepting of the child and was cradling the babe to her, smiling like a mother should.

It made Audrey a little mad…and even a little jealous.

That kid, the one Charlie didn’t even _want_ , had been her only comfort other than Michael during this hell trip. Now that she has nothing but the sounds of the road and her thoughts, Audrey needed that comfort now more than ever. And Charlie was reaping the benefits of it.

Another few minutes flew by. The darkness around them swirling past at amazing speeds. Nothing tipped her off, she’d think later. Nothing would have prepared her for anything next (ironically, considering everything that had happened so far).

Something in her chest clenched. Pain flared from her heart so suddenly that she let out a choked breath. Something liquid streaked down her face and onto her hand and, reaching up, she felt it.

She was crying.

The pain was so strong, and she knew why.

Michael would not be coming after them.

He didn’t make it.

The tears flew faster, and she hastily wiped it away, trying to catch her breath, when she heard Charlie gasp. Thinking the older woman saw her, she quickly looked up to wave away questions. But Charlie wasn’t looking at her, she was looking at Jeep.

Or more importantly, Jeep’s body.

All along his arms, neck, and back, a familiar set of tattoos inked its way across flesh. It was Michael’s tattoo and that fact alone proved that Michael was no longer with them.

“Michael,” Audrey whispered, voicing what they all thought. Glancing up, Audrey saw a sign fly past.

_Red Ridge: National Forest_

“You guys, look, we’re here,” Audrey sat up straighter, pointing it out to the other passengers.

Jeep nodded, assuming his leader position, “Okay, we need to assess our weapon situation. Hopefully Michael didn’t take it all.”

Audrey ruffled around the clutter of the back seat, looking for anything of use. “Um, there’s a flare gun, and a couple of flares.”

She didn’t get to say what else as the impact of something on the top of the car caused it to swerve violently.

A series of events happened during that time as God’s Messenger rained down upon them.

Gabriel attacked the ceiling, and Jeep retaliated by shooting at him with his gun, causing the angel to fall to the back of the car, where the broken in window allowed him access to Audrey.

“Jeep!” Audrey ducked down when the man told her get down. It did almost nothing, as the car swerved some more.

“Audrey, the flare gun!” she quickly aimed with the weapon and shot, but was deterred when the angel knocked her arm away. The flare flew around the car once, and then hit Gabriel in the end, causing him to lose grip on his perch. Jeep tried getting him off by purposely swerving, but Gabriel got his grip back and reached for Audrey.

She couldn’t even think properly, and almost went through the next moments in a dreamlike sequence. She lifted her arm with the flare gun again, but Gabriel just grabbed it and her hand, flinging it down over and over against the seat until it flew out of her grasp. Then, letting go of her, he backhanded her with a closed fist. She felt darkness engulf her and knew nothing but silence for the briefest of moments.

When she awoke, it was by the jarring movements of the car under attack. She could hear the baby's cries and Jeep’s yelling and Charlie’s whimpering. Gabriel was farther in the car than she remembered, and he had both arms in the front seat, one choking Jeep, the other terrorizing Charlie and the baby.

She made a quick decision and, with effort, she threw her arms around the angel’s neck from behind.

“Let go of her!” she tightened her limbs as much as his armor would allow her to, refusing to give up her grip. He tried shaking her off, but she wouldn’t let him. Glancing over to the dash, she saw that they were going well over 100 miles per hour and rising with every second. Another quick decision and she was yelling at Jeep, “ _Jeep, do it!_ ”

She knew what would happen. It could go two ways.

One: Jeep wouldn’t do it, and they’d all die. Because it didn’t matter how careful Gabriel was about his attack, this car would crash into something, and they’d _all_ die, because no car going this fast, with the driver being distracted at the same time, could stay upright and not destroyed.

Or two: Jeep does what she tells him, and the only people that are in danger are her and Gabriel. Charlie and Jeep and the baby, if they play their cards right, could get out of this. This could be the perfect distraction for them to get away, while Gabriel recuperates.

Jeep seemed to take option number two after she yelled at him a few more times. He slammed down on the brakes, and suddenly she weighed nothing.

It felt like slow motion when Gabriel and her, still strapped to his back, flew through the front windshield. She felt herself dislocate from him in midair, and right when she thought she was going to be feeling the hard gravelly road crunch into her body, she felt a tough, hard object catch her and take the hit for her. She sensed them roll across the ground, but she couldn’t actually feel it because the object kept her to it protectively, shielding her from being broken beyond repair.

They roll to a stop and right when she’s about to look up to see her savior, she felt darkness once again clutching at her and pulling her back down into it. And suddenly that feeling of weightlessness was there again and she knew no more.

-x-

She woke to someone tapping her face and shaking her.

“Audrey? Audrey, ya alright? Come one, ya gotta wake, we gotta go!” her eyes slit open just enough for her to see that Jeep’s the one hitting her, and everything rushed back to her. The one-angel barrage against the car, the flying _out of_ the car on the wings of said barrage, and the mysterious person who saved her.

She slowly sat up with the help of Jeep and, when she had her bearings, she stood up and walked over to where Charlie is hovering with the baby.

“Is the baby alright?” she lifted a hand to push back some hair in her face, trying to check the baby’s condition as much as she could.

“Yea, he’s fine, a little shaken, but okay.” Charlie smiled at her warily, and, up close, Audrey could see what the past 48 hours had done to the woman. Lines ran all over her face, with dark rings under her tired eyes and dirt and grime covering her, sweat giving it a bright sheen.

Audrey felt a twinge of sympathy, and briefly rested her hand on Charlie’s shoulder.

“Okay, guys, we gotta get moving,” Jeep walked over to them, to get their attention, before leading the way, towards a large hill. They trekked their way up, and Audrey helped Charlie as much as she could when Jeep wasn’t. What they didn’t know was that she was only doing it for the baby, not the mother, as horrible as it sounded.

Suddenly they were at the top, and while she helped Charlie up the steeper slope, she heard Jeep gasp. Looking up, she saw a figure diving towards them, and she let out a gasp of her own. She pushed Charlie out of the way so she wouldn’t be in direct danger, but felt herself being moved away too. She watched as Jeep took a direct hit from Gabriel, knocking him out cold.

She then watched as Gabriel turned his back on her to face Charlie, who had ended up on the other side, at the edge of the cliff.

“Give me the child.” His usual smooth grumble was frayed at the edges, his patience with them at its end. Charlie looked down to her child, and Audrey held her breath as she waited for Charlie to do something stupid.

But she didn’t. When she turned back to the angel, her face was determined and hard.

“No.”

Gabriel’s shoulders tensed, and in her mind, Audrey pictured his face before he swung at her at the diner: nostril flared and a pissed off expression. He must’ve _really_ hit his endpoint.

“Then death will come swiftly to you both.”

And then he charged.

But Audrey was already ahead of him. She threw her body at him, hitting him with all her weight, and with the momentum it caused them both to go tumbling over the edge of the cliff. She landed on top of him and when he finally got his bearings, he pushed her off roughly.

Her right shoulder hit a rock particularly hard, and a hand immediately went to it. Using the last of her strength, she stood up shakily; ready to face off against this monster who paraded itself as a holy being. She should’ve died by now. She shouldn’t still be here when others much more worthy than her had already passed. But she was, and she had to use every bit of life she had left to fight.

She stood weakly on her legs, but didn’t care, and continued to hold her right shoulder. She braced herself for his attack.

“Why do you continue to fight, when you know all hope is lost?” he stared at her, as though it was crazy of her to oppose the mass destruction of mankind.

“Because…I’m _human_ , and I don’t take shit from no one,” she narrowed her eyes, “least of all to a motherfucking _hypocrite_ like you!”

Gabriel’s features went beyond disfigurement. He was so furious he leapt forward at her blindly, his mace held high for a direct blow.

Audrey didn’t close her eyes; she kept them open, wanting to see her last moments. The weapon came closer to her and right when he was going to swing it -

A bright light blinded him.

Something invisible made him stumble back - made him drop his arm - his face no longer disfigured rage, but horrified astonishment. Audrey tilted her head back to see what it was, but the figure, the man - the _angel_ \- landed in front of her, his magnificent wings spread out, sword at the ready. He slowly straightened out, and Audrey lost her breath.

It was Michael.

He was okay!

“Michael…!” she grinned at his back. He didn’t turn to her; he kept his gaze on Gabriel, and vice versa.

“How…?” Gabriel let the question trail off, and Michael filled in the blanks.

“You gave him what he wanted,” his voice lilted through the air, pleasing Audrey’s ears and solidifying his return, “I gave him what he needed,” he concluded, his tone finalizing a point.

Gabriel wasn’t going to just leave it like that though. He raised his weapon once more against his brother, and Audrey could see Michael’s shoulders tense. He didn’t want to fight him anymore. She could tell, just by the way he held himself. But he had a duty to do, now that he was back in God’s good graces, and Gabriel was still a danger to everything and everyone.

So Michael readied his sword at his side, and in the time it took to blink, both had lunged at each other. When the smoke had cleared away, Audrey could see Michael a little farther away behind Gabriel with his sword still midair, but it wasn’t clean anymore. Dark liquid stained it - Gabriel’s blood.

Gabriel was still for a moment, his eyes wide in disbelief, but then he fell to his knees. Michael slowly lowered his sword and turned to look at his fallen comrade. Very carefully, he placed the edge of his sword underneath Gabriel’s jaw, but he paused.

Gabriel noticed. “Do it,” he urged. “You know you have to.”

But Michael silently refused and, shaking his head, he pulled his arm back, “No.”

Gabriel stared at Michael in a detached bitter expression, “I would not have shown you such mercy.”

Michael didn’t have any expression, his face carefully blank of emotion. He had already made a dent in Gabriel’s armor, literally and physically - now he was going to drive the stake home.

“That is why you have failed him.”

Gabriel’s eyes widened. He didn’t say anything. He stood, his dignity in pieces, as his wings lifted him up from the ground and away from his defeat.

Michael stayed where he was, silently placing his sword back in its sheath.

Audrey hesitated but, after a moment, ran over to him. She paused near him, then relaxed when he looked at her, a soft expression replacing the emotionless one from before.

She smiled at him tiredly, and then, pain in her shoulder forgotten, threw her arms around him, hugging him.

His armor poked her weirdly, causing her limbs to wrap awkwardly around his neck, but she held on regardless. He didn’t move for a while, but placed a hand on her back for a mere moment before pulling back.

“Thank you.” she looked directly into his eyes, making sure to radiate the gratitude she felt. He understood and nodded.

He rested his hand on her bad shoulder, lightly, the rustle of fabric loud in her ears. She realized belatedly that she was still wearing his trench coat, and suddenly her arm didn’t hurt anymore.

He had healed it.

She turned to look back at him, but he was already walking away, toward the end of the cliff. The sun was starting to rise and the color reflected off his wings, creating a glow around him - a sort of halo. The irony didn’t pass over Audrey.

Something in her memory struck her though.

“Michael, what instructions were you talking about?”

The archangel turned back around. “The markings are the way. Learn them, understand them, and follow them. They will guide you to the Prophets.”

Audrey knew for certain that she would definitely _not_ understand that tattoo. “But what if I don’t understand it? Who are the prophets?”

Michael dipped his head, “You will know when the time comes. Have faith, Audrey.” And then he turned away and took a running start.

She took a half-step towards him and saw as he jumped off…only to fly skyward. She took a few more steps blindly, watching as he flew into a hole of sunlight in the clouds, assumingly back to heaven.

She stood there alone for a few minutes; the only noises were her breaths through the air. But then the sounds of gravel hitting the ground caught her attention. She turned and saw Jeep and Charlie climbing up the hill. She had almost forgotten them. Actually she had almost forgotten the entire ' _Paradise Falls_ incident', entirely thanks to the epic angel standoff that just occurred.

She waited for them to catch up and then turned back to look ahead. She was at the edge of the cliff, and beyond that, they, as a group, were graced with the sight of a small city.

A silent sigh of relief swept through them and, after a pause, they started down the hill, awaiting the next challenge God decided to bestow on them.

-x-

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story is NOT over, just fyi. I'm surprised I even got enough energy to fix this up tbh. Regardless I hope to continue working on this. Hopefully ya'll liked how I fixed it up :) Let me know what you think


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